Entrepreneurs urged to build with purpose, resilience and human connection: The Good Business Journal Summit

bongiwe53
May 14
8 min read

Business leaders, entrepreneurs and creatives gathered for The Good Business Journal Summit, in Houghton, Johannesburg on May 7, 2026, for wide-ranging conversations on entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, growth and purpose. The summit was held in partnership by The Good Business Journal and the fraymedia Foundation.

The day opened with the fraymedia Foundation Rise & Shine Women in Media Breakfast Series. The Breakfast received keynote remarks from Khadija Patel, Director, International Fund for Public Interest Media, and the full report of the convening is available here.

The Summit programme followed, led by Olivier de Ridder, Co-Founder and CEO of The Good Business Journal reflecting under the title 'Your Business Has a Memory Problem'. de Ridder challenged business leaders to reconsider how organisations store, access, and act on the intelligence they already possess, making the case that the ansers to growth are often already embedded within existing systems and knowledge.

This was followed by 'The Art of Storytelling' session presented by Bryan Welker, Co-Founder and President of The Good Business Journal, alongside award-winning filmmaker and director, Dillon Banda. The session explored why storytelling remains one of the most powerful tools available to brands and organisations, and how narratives can be used to create deeper impact and connection. Banda's distinguished work includes international recognition from the Oregon Documentary Film Festival, 100th ADC Awards, the Kinsale Shark Awards, the Berlin Commercial Awards, and Ciclope Festival.

The final morning session, 'Agentic AI' was led by AI futurist and business owner Alexander de Ridder, unpacking the concept of agentic artificial intelligence, outlining why it represents a fundamental shift for business and what leaders need to understand now to remain adaptive and competitive.

The afternoon Business Growth panel brought together Stefan le Roux, Editor, WDR Aspen; Graham Mitchell, Founder of GrowZA; and author of Compunding Advantage, Verashni Pillay, Founder of Explain.co.za, and Bryan Welker, President and Co-Founder of The Good Business Journal for an honest and practical discussion on what it takes to build businesses that endure.

Mitchell drawing on fifteen years of experience working with more than 180 South African companies, challenged the culture of constant reinvention, instead making the case for focus, consistency, and the compounding power of small gains over time. Pillay brought her perspective as an award-winning journalist and editor committed to building sustainable journalism that holds power to account. The second half of the session opened to audience questions, creating an interactive exchange of insight and experience.

The speakers unpacked the realities of entrepreneurship, the pressures of leadership, the impact of artificial intelligence, and the importance of building businesses rooted in purpose and human connection.

Building businesses one step at a time

Mitchell, whose work focuses on helping entrepreneurs scale sustainable businesses, emphasised that successful companies are built through consistent incremental progress rather than dramatic breakthroughs.

“Our clients that get the best results are the ones that consistently improve their business quarter on quarter,” he said. “If you do that consistently; right priorities, incremental improvement, quarter after quarter; you will get exceptional results in your business.”

Drawing on themes from Compounding Advantage, Mitchell argued that entrepreneurs often fail because they attempt too many priorities at once instead of focusing on a few changes with the greatest impact.

“The critical decision that you’ve got to make is which ones on this list will have the biggest impact in moving the business forward,” he said.

Mitchell also stressed the importance of purpose-driven leadership and organisational culture, particularly once businesses move beyond survival mode.

“If the culture is right in the business, then things work easier,” he said. “The starting point of a culture and getting the organisation aligned is purpose.”

Verashni Pillay on democracy, media and entrepreneurial survival

Pillay offered some of the panel’s most personal reflections, speaking candidly about the realities of building a media business in South Africa while trying to remain anchored in democratic values.

Reflecting on an early failed attempt at entrepreneurship in her twenties, she said the experience taught her a crucial lesson.

“You have to have something that people want,” she said. “You come up with good ideas, but you haven’t tested them in the market.”

She described how the pressure of entrepreneurship often centres on one overriding concern; survival.

“The most urgent thing is I have to pay salaries at the end of every month,” she said. “The most urgent thing is I need cash flow.”

Pillay explained that her journalism platform Explain.co.za emerged from concerns about exclusion from South Africa’s information ecosystem.

“I started the business because of being really invested in the democratic project in South Africa and feeling that so many people were left out of the information ecosystem,” she said.

She spoke specifically about how women are often excluded from civic participation because of unequal labour burdens at home and at work.

“I was so startled by how many of my girlfriends - accountants, actuaries, doctors, professors - went, ‘I don’t really follow the news. I don’t really know what’s happening.’ And I went, that’s not acceptable.”

Pillay said her long-term vision remains focused on accessible communication and democratic participation.

“My vision is democratising communication and creating an inclusive democratic environment for all South African citizens,” she said.

Bryan Welker on leadership, networks and self-reflection

Welker, who moderated much of the conversation while also sharing lessons from his own entrepreneurial journey, returned to the importance of relationships, vulnerability and personal growth.

Reflecting on his early years in Aspen, Colorado, Welker described deliberately placing himself in spaces where influential people gathered.

“I worked for the catering company so that I could just be in the room,” he said. “Now 30 years later I have a table in those rooms.”

Welker also spoke openly about the importance of self-awareness as businesses grow.

“Some days I’m not my best,” he admitted. “Some days when there’s pressure, I say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing. But I try to be very self-reflective.”

He argued that leaders need to create environments where honest feedback is possible, even when employees feel intimidated by authority structures.

“Sometimes no matter how many times you tell people, they will never be comfortable talking to the CEO,” he said. “But they will be comfortable talking to their peer.”

Welker also reflected on confidence and imposter syndrome, particularly among entrepreneurs who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Do I belong here? Of course you belong here,” he said,

describing the internal dialogue many entrepreneurs face as they move into unfamiliar professional spaces.

AI, authenticity and the future of communication

Artificial intelligence emerged as another major theme of the conversation, with panelists debating both its opportunities and risks.

Mitchell said his organisation was actively experimenting with AI coaching tools as a way to better understand how the technology may shape business support services in future.

“We are actively embracing AI because we do recognise that it will change what we do in our industry,” he said.

Pillay, meanwhile, warned that businesses risk losing authenticity if they over-rely on AI-generated communication.

“What sells you is you and your voice,” she said. “That is what communication is going to become like.”

She argued that originality and human voice would become increasingly valuable as AI-generated content becomes more widespread.

“The reason I chose the three interns I chose is because they had a unique voice,” she said. “They had something to say. They didn’t sound like everyone else.”

Mentorship, inequality and the “missing middle”

The panel also spent significant time discussing South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis and the growing pressure on businesses to develop talent internally.

Pillay highlighted the structural disadvantages facing many young South Africans entering the workforce.

“I don’t think a lot of us in this room know what it’s like to grow up in a family where no one has graduated from university, where no one has gone to a job interview,” she said. “You’re the first person ever to do this.”

Mitchell agreed that many industries are struggling with what he described as a shortage of middle-management talent.

“There’s a lot of incredible young talent coming through,” he said. “But there’s just this missing middle.”

He argued that businesses increasingly need to invest directly in training and mentorship because traditional apprenticeship pathways have weakened.

Stefan le Roux and the role of storytelling

Le Roux, Editor of WDR Aspen and The Good Business Journal, closed the discussion by reaffirming the publication’s commitment to telling meaningful business stories rooted in impact and human experience.

“We want to tell more good business stories because we know there are more good business stories to tell,” he said.

Collaboration is the new competition

Beyond the panel discussion, the broader summit was designed as an intimate gathering focused on practical business insight, collaboration and meaningful networking rather than a traditional large-scale conference.

Hosted at Villa Simone under the theme “Collaboration is the new competition”, the programme brought together entrepreneurs, creatives, media leaders and business strategists for a full day of conversations about growth, storytelling, leadership and innovation.

Key lessons from Verashni Pillay at The Summit

Verashni Pillay leads a collaborative and supportive relationship with the fraymedia Foundation, particularly through its women-in-media initiatives and professional networks. She has participated in and publicly supported the Foundation’s Rise & Shine Women in Media Breakfast Series, describing it as “instrumental” to her journey as a female entrepreneur in media.

Pillay has also been involved with the Foundation in a professional capacity, including serving as a judge for the Foundation’s EntreprenHER Programme Grant initiative. The relationship is of industry collaboration, mentorship, networking, and shared advocacy around sustainable journalism, women’s leadership, and media innovation in South Africa. Below are 10 key takeaways we took from Vershni's panel remarks.

In Her Words: 10 lessons from Verashni Pillay

1. Build something people genuinely need

“You have to have something that people want.”

Pillay reflected on an early failed business attempt in her twenties, saying good ideas alone are not enough if they are not tested against real market needs.

2. Cash flow is the daily reality of entrepreneurship

“The most urgent thing is I have to pay salaries at the end of every month.”

Pillay stressed that behind the vision and mission of entrepreneurship lies the constant operational pressure of sustaining a business financially.

3. Founders must eventually learn to decentralise

“We’ve grown to 10 employees, we’re doing really well, but too much relies on me.”

Pillay acknowledged one of the hardest transitions for entrepreneurs: building systems and leadership structures that do not depend entirely on the founder.

4. Purpose matters as much as profit

“I started the business because of being really invested in the democratic project in South Africa.”

She argued that mission-driven businesses can still be commercially viable while serving a broader social purpose.

5. Information accessibility is a democratic issue

“I was so startled by how many of my girlfriends … went, ‘I don’t really follow the news.’”

Pillay said her journalism platform was created to make news and public information more accessible to audiences who felt excluded or overwhelmed.

6. Human voice will matter even more in the AI era

“What sells you is you and your voice.”

While recognising AI’s usefulness, she warned that originality and authentic communication would become increasingly valuable as generic AI-generated content grows.

7. Hire for originality, not sameness

“The reason I chose the three interns I chose is because they had a unique voice.”

Pillay said young professionals who stand out creatively and communicate authentically are becoming more important in a crowded information environment.

8. Entrepreneurship requires psychological resilience

“There is such a psychological hurdle to believing in yourself.”

She spoke openly about the emotional strain entrepreneurs face, particularly women trying to negotiate confidence, visibility and self-belief.

9. Society often punishes confident women differently

“I never had imposter syndrome, but it’s almost like everyone around me wanted me to have imposter syndrome.”

Pillay reflected on how gendered expectations shape leadership experiences and discourage many women from fully claiming space and authority.

10. Too many talented people stay silent

“The best of us are keeping quiet and not doing what we should be doing.”

She ended with a call for more capable, thoughtful and values-driven people to step forward publicly rather than ceding influence to louder but less capable voices.